New addictions centre for women in St. John's open and taking 'students'

After a decade of planning, fundraising and construction by Teen Challenge Canada, a new in-residence addictionstreatment facility has opened in St. John's.

The Atlantic Hope Women's Centre, located on Fowler's Road, isa 12-month, in-residence treatment program for women who are 18 years old and older, and struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.

"Many of our applicants have tried other programs. The average is actually 3.7 other programs before they come to us," said Glen Smeltzer, CEO of Teen Challenge Canada.

"People who graduate our program, between 50 and 60 per cent of them are clean and not usingfive years after they graduate."

The program includes a spiritual component, addictions counselling, work therapy, communal living and basic life skills. Its "students," as the program calls participants, proceed through three phasesin four-month blocks.

Thiswomen's centre is the second opened by Teen Challenge Canadathis year, which brings their total to eight addictions centres five for men, threefor women.

It's also 98 per cent donor-funded, but with a $1,000 admissionfee for applicants.

But while the centre is upfront about being a Christianfaith-based program, Smeltzer said religion is not a prerequisite for applicants, nor is becoming a Christian a requirement for graduation. All he asks of those attending is that they remain open about a program based on faith, he said.

"That's a personal decision that each one of them willmake through the course of the program," he said of religious affiliation.

"But there's something about the message of hope, and freedom, that they encounter, especially when they get time with other graduates of the program, they realize that they really can be free from addiction and that's a life-changing revelation."

Success story

Tracey Whalenis thedevelopment officer for the Atlantic Hope Women's Centre today, but she was a student ofthe program in Aurora, Ont., in 2010.

Whalen said she heard about the program through a presentation held in a church in St. John's. She said she had been an addict for many years; she had her first drink of alcohol at eightyears old and by30, she said, she was using drugs with needles.

"I had to go outside of the province to get the help that I needed. It is a residential-care program and I needed a lot more than a short-term program to learn how to live again and to learn how to live without substances," she said.

It's certainly not an easy 12 months, Whalen said, but the highly structured and routine-driven program gave her the opportunity to become responsible and dependable again.

The new centre took its first participant in July, with intake continuing as applications come in.

Both Whalen and Smeltzerhope to see the current six-bed facility expand to accommodate 16 to 25 residents in the future.

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